Arachne the Weaver
Classical Stories · No. 37 — The girl who challenged a goddess at the loom.
- Classical Stories
- 42 min
- Ages 8–13
- 7 chapters
About this audiobook
Arachne is the finest weaver anyone has seen, and she knows it — so well that when people credit the goddess Athena, she scoffs and boasts she could beat the goddess in a contest. Athena, disguised as an old woman, warns her to show humility; Arachne refuses. So the goddess reveals herself and the contest begins. Both weave dazzling cloth — Athena's showing the glory of the gods, Arachne's showing the gods behaving badly. The girl's work is flawless, even daring. And the outcome turns Arachne into the first of all the spiders, still weaving to this day.
Why it's worth a listen
A village girl weaves so beautifully that people say the goddess Athena herself must have taught her — and she makes the mistake of saying she taught herself, and could out-weave the goddess too. What happens at that loom is a story about talent, pride, and why the first spider spins.
A question to keep
Where is the line between being proud of your gift and being blind to everyone else's?
Chapters
- The Girl Who Spun the Wind
- The Whisper in the Thread
- The Shadow at the Loom
- The Clash of Shuttles
- Two Worlds Woven
- The Web in the Morning Dew
- A Question to Keep